India Picks Top Economic Aide, Formerly of I.M.F.

MUMBAI, India — India’s government on Thursday appointed the Washington-based development economist Arvind Subramanian as its chief economic adviser.

The prominent post has been vacant since Raghuram Rajan left the position last year to become the central bank governor. The delay in filling this and other senior advisory positions after the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in May was seen as encumbering the announcement of broad-based economic reforms.

Speculation has been rife about the appointment of Mr. Subramanian, who was born and received his early education in India, since his candidacy first emerged in August.

The appointment of the chief economic adviser comes as the government prepares its first full-year budget, due in February. The adviser is typically responsible for the annual economic survey used in the drafting of the budget, but Mr. Subramanian will have to wait because the survey for this year was released in July. His appointment is for three years.

At a news conference in New Delhi, Mr. Subramanian said he would focus on providing equal growth for Indians at all economic levels. “It is an honor and privilege to serve a government that has a mandate for reform and change,” he said.

Mr. Subramanian is now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. He previously worked closely with Mr. Rajan when both held positions at the International Monetary Fund; Mr. Subramanian was an assistant director in the research department. He has also worked at the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. He has taught at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Analysts said Mr. Subramanian’s appointment would bolster the government’s efforts to revive the economy.

“In its first few months in office, the Modi government has been criticized for lacking an overarching vision on the economy,” said Milan Vaishnav, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a research center in Washington. “What Arvind brings is not only a brilliant analytical mind but an ability to see and articulate the big reform picture. He is also a fiercely independent thinker, which means that the government will receive unvarnished and unfiltered economic advice.”

Mr. Subramanian himself has occasionally criticized the government. In June, he published a “provisional economic scorecard” for Mr. Modi’s administration on the website of the Peterson Institute. He gave the government high marks for its moves to ease labor laws and curb inflation but disapproved of tax concessions given to the automobile sector and an increase in sugar subsidies. Mr. Subramanian also recently criticized the government’s decision to block a World Trade Organization deal to streamline trade procedures, after a dispute over food subsidies.

In July, he published an article on the institute’s website criticizing the government’s first budget announcement for its lack of substantive measures. But he wrote that “in fairness, the new government has had limited time to put personnel in place and prepare politically for the implementation of its policies to restore confidence and generate growth. That may yet happen.”

The government also announced the appointment of Rajiv Mehrish, a pro-reform government official from the state of Rajasthan, as the economic affairs secretary.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B2 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S.-Based Economist Picked as Top Adviser in India. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe